Essential
by DanieXJ
Summary: Takes place during Season 7, though, when I wrote it I hadn't seen much of 7, so, it's my take on the First Evil, with a little bit of a 'Seeing Red' fix and 'Heroes' fix in there as well.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Essential

Pairing(s): Willow/Tara, Sam/Janet, Buffy/Angel (a bit)

Summary: This takes place around November during Season Seven of Buffy, but only loosely. I've taken the basic Potential Slayers etc. storyline and gone from there. And, since I really didn't watch too

much of Season Seven before I wrote this ditty, it's gonna be zanily wrong as far as cannon goes... As well, since this is a CROSSOVER, the Stargate portion of our story takes place after the two part episode "Heroes".

Disclaimers: I don't own any of these characters, or any of the songs within.

* * *

Willow looked around with a frown for a moment, but then just shook her head. "Have we vamped enough tonight Buffy?"

The Slayer smirked, "They do seem scarce. Sure, let's get out of here, we've met our quota." Buffy bumped Willow's hip, "Somebody special waiting back at Casa Summers?"

Willow rolled her eyes, "Just Miss Mattress... if I'm lucky."

Buffy put an arm around her best friend, "You deserve to be happy, let yourself be happy."

Willow regarded Buffy skeptically, "Blonde pot calling the redhead pot black much?"

Buffy just chuckled at Willow's Willowism.

* * *

Tara stood behind a crypt wall and watched the red hair of her former lover, girlfriend, and soulmate move among the other crypts, statues, and headstones. "Oh, hello i-it's me... no, I'm not a ghost, in this town... Oh l-look h-how sharp that kn-knife is. I'm not the First Evil...n-nope. I'm not. Oh, you want nothing to do with me. You're shagging a potential slayer, I'm just... human..." Tara watched as Willow and Buffy came into full view and shook her head, "Who are you kidding Maclay..." She shook her head as she made her way out the other end of the cemetery.

* * *

Willow sat up with a gasp. She stretched, getting the kinks out of her back, only half wondering how she had wound up on the floor. It's not that she hadn't ended up in plenty stranger places in the past few weeks with all the potentials using the Summer's house as their temporary residence, but she thought that she'd been on the bed when she collapsed after slaying.

Willow got up, and made her way through the mass of bodies strewn throughout the room. She tiptoed down the stairs and snagged the long leather jacket from the mass of jackets near the back door.

She went out the back door and paused for a moment. She shook her head and went over to the bench and sat down. She stared up at the window that was in what had been her room. She heard the squeak of the back screen door and looked up. Dawn was standing in front of her after a moment. "This seat taken?"

"I wish it were Dawn..."

Dawn sat back and draped an arm off the back of the bench. "I haven't gotten used to it yet..."

Willow looked over at Dawn, "What?"

"The death... I think Buffy is starting to get used to it."

Willow pursed her lips and thought about this, "I wouldn't worry about your sister too much. Buffy's a superhero, she always comes through in the end... she's good with endings, it's the middle worky stuff that doesn't agree with her... that's why she got us Scoobs involved oh so long ago..." Willow shrugged.

Dawn shook her head and stared back up at the dark sky, it was almost starless, which made it a bit spooky. "I'm not one of the potentials... I've been here for one almost apocalypse... more if you count the ones I wasn't physically present for. I know what's riding on all this..."

Willow took a deep breath, "This might be the one we don't win Dawnie."

Dawn pushed at Willow's shoulder, "Hey, why do you get to be Ms. Gloom and Doom?"

"2 years ago we were dancing on air..." Willow trailed off and shook her head. "Sorry..." A sniffle came from Willow unbidden.

Dawn closed her eyes as she realized the date. "Oh Willow, I'm so sorry, none of us remembered it either..."

Willow shrugged and sniffled a little more, "Bigger fish to fry I guess... and to be fair, she never really was their friend that much. With Anya, she's a demon, and... this extended family seems to take in demons... but Tara... she was just another witch..."

Dawn frowned and moved so that she sat face to side of face with Willow, "No, she wasn't. She was the closest thing to a mother I had since Mom died. Hell, she made me eat my vegetables Will..."

Willow smiled, "Me too... uck... even the green beans... always make me fart."

Dawn opened and closed her mouth, not knowing what to say, and settled on issuing a slight smile, "Uh, green beans aren't supposed to make you... expel gas Will."

Willow smiled, "Okay, so maybe I just did it to get Tara to make her funny smile face. You know, the half smile?"

Dawn chortled softly, "Oh, you are indeed evil Willow..." Dawn laid her head down on Willow's shoulder. "She was a diamond among all us lumps of coal..."

"Who you callin' a lump of coal..."

Both Willow and Dawn looked up to see Buffy standing in front of them. "You do know that it is November right? It's frickin' freezing cold outside?" Both nodded. "So this is an entirely informed decision?" Both nodded again. "Well scooch down already. So... whatch'a two doin'?"

Dawn pulled a book from behind her and laid it in Willow's lap. "I thought maybe you could continue the Latin lessons..."

Buffy leaned her head against Willow's other shoulder, "Mmm... that'll put me right back to sleep cold or no cold. Plus the added plus that there'll be no potentials snoring. Wake me for breakfast."

Willow rolled her eyes, "Of course, Miss Dawn who learns Sumerian first and then suddenly decides Latin might be a good thing... watch out... you may become a nerd..."

Dawn raised an eyebrow, "Uh uh, no way... contacts all the way for me..."

Willow shook her head, "From the mouths of babes...believe me, nerdiness has little to do with oversized glasses and pocket protectors young lady."

Buffy mumbled with her eyes still closed, "Take it from Will, she's the Queen of the Nerds..."

* * *

Tara sat down at the bar in Willy's place, "Give me a shot of something strong."

"Anything in particular Astra?"

Tara raised her eyebrows, "Anything but b-bodily fluids thank you."

The bartender went about pouring a drink for Tara, "No one can figure you out. Some say you're a Vampire, others say you're some other kind of Demon, and some think you're something worse than both those combined." The bartender raised an eyebrow, "I think you've just been in a bad mood for months now..."

Tara shrugged and downed the shot in one swallow, "Well, I've been called a Demon before... but if they want to know all they have to do is ask, I'm an open book Lou."

Lou laughed shortly, "I don't think that's going to happen. You bring a new meaning to the word brooding."

"And you won't ask?"

Lou shook his head, "I'm the bartender, I just listen to the demon's bitch about the Slayer and her Slayerettes. You know, they have a whole gaggle over there now. Slayers in Training. Bunch of brats with aspirations of greatness. All think they're gonna get picked when the big evil massacres the Slayer."

"...First Evil..."

Lou tilted his head to one side, "Huh?"

Tara shrugged, "It's bigger than a big evil, Warren was a medium-ish evil with delusions of grandeur, Adam was a big evil, Glory was a bigger evil." She shook her head, "And a bitch, but this is the First Evil. G-give me another shot..."

As Lou poured Tara another shot he commented, "Usually you don't go for the hard stuff."

Tara downed the shot and winced as it went down, "You know, for a bartender at a monster's bar, you're quite chatty."

Lou held his hands up and turned his head towards the door as he saw a flash of green out of the corner of his eye. He frowned, "Air Force..."

Tara looked towards the doorway also. "Don't see that everyday. Too pink for them to be newly risen..."

Lou raised his eyebrows, "Unless you're their sire..."

Tara turned her gaze back on Lou, who simply held his hands up in a shrug. When Tara looked away, a smirk came to Lou's lips. He pinned the two male military officers approaching the bar with a look. "You two lost?"

The male with gray hair around his ears raised an eyebrow, "Usually bartenders are nicer to potential customers."

Lou shrugged, "You're... on duty in those suits, we don't get a lot of on duty Air Force officers around here. 'Specially at this hour."

The male with glasses stepped forward and reached for his pocket, everyone in the room tensed and he rolled his eyes, "We're looking for this woman, she's gone AWOL."

Tara spoke up, "And Air Force officers generally g-go looking for lost women around four am?"

The older man tried to stare Tara down, "She's a Major in the U.S. Air Force, and one of my team. Have you seen her?"

Tara took the photo and stared at it, "Nope, then again, I doubt a clean cut woman would patronize this k-kinda joint."

The spectacled man gestured towards the door, "That your Motorcycle out there?"

Tara laughed shortly, "Right, no, they're called donor cycles for a reason and I haven't gone complete round the rotary. I drive a C-civic."

From behind the two officers came a low growly voice, "It's mine..." The male Vamp put a hand on the younger man's shoulder and slowly spun him around, "Oh, I could give you a ride you wouldn't soon forget."

A Female Vampire sidled up to the older man and dragged her fingernails along his cheek, "This one's cute too..."

Tara stood up, tired of the banter and threats and spoiling for a fight, or at least a confrontation, "Don't touch them."

The two vamps seemed to consider something for a moment and then held their hands up and backed away, "Never mind Astra..."

The female looked the gray haired man up and down, "Too skinny for my taste anyway..."

Tara sat back down without looking at the two officers, "You shouldn't stay here..."

After he shook off the female vampire's hand, the man who seemed in charge raised an eyebrow, "I think I can take care of myself in a bar brawl... Astra is it?"

"N-not in this bar Commander." She mumbled, "Not in this bar."

He spun Tara around, "It's Colonel, and you seem to know a lot about this town, are you... sure you haven't seen the woman..." The Colonel stuffed the picture in Tara's face.

Tara frowned, and pushed the photo to the side without looking at it again. She was tired of getting the third degree from these two, "She wouldn't have come to this town, it isn't on a-anyone's t-to do list."

The bespeckled man moved his face into Tara's personal space, which surprised her. He seemed more like a Willow type than a Buffy type. Of course, Willow wasn't quite the mild mannered nerd that she'd been when they met anymore. "Look, I've been flying second seat in a Tomcat for the past... who knows how long..." He took a step back and brushed his hand through his hair, composing himself, "are you, sure you have no idea where she could be?"

Tara's frown increased, "If she is here, she m-musta annoyed the wrong people..." Tara stepped out of the way of the two men and threw some money on the bar. "I'll s-see you around Lou."

With that she walked out the door, followed by the two officers. She paid no attention to them, heading for her apartment a few blocks over. After a block it was the man with glasses who spoke up, "We just want your help. Jack can be... he's Jack..."

Tara stopped and took a deep breath. She turned around, "Fine, start at the cemeteries. We have about six in Sunnydale..."

Jack spoke, and Tara could have sworn that she heard the start of a tremor in his voice, "You think she's dead?"

Tara pursed her lips, "Not the graves, d-did I say graves? There are lots of crypts... good shelter..." Tara paused for a moment, "...if you don't have a place to stay."

The well-mannered man held out his hand, which Tara shook. "Thank you Astra..."

No one had asked her last name yet, she pulled up the first one her mind came across. Willow had wanted to do a movie marathon, a bunch of end of the world movies, the red head had said that she liked them because 'it could always be worse, we could be plugged in or have a giant computer ruling our lives'. "...Connor..."

He nodded, "I'm Dr. Daniel Jackson and this is Colonel Jack O'Neill. Again, thank you for the information." He handed her a card, "If you see her, give us a call okay?"

Tara nodded as the three parted ways.

* * *

Daniel took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stay awake, "Jack, we're not going to find Sam here."

Jack leaned against one of the crypt's walls and yawned. "Maybe you're right... what time is it anyway?"

Daniel caught Jack's yawn, "Uh... 5 A.M... why?"

A slight smirk came to Jack's face, "Lord, we've been up..." Daniel nodded. "Okay, we're going to turn in for the night."

"Well, look what we have here..."

Both the men whirled to face a dark haired man. Daniel held his hands up, "You don't want to do anything you'll regret."

The man laughed as his face morphed into that of a Vampire. "I doubt that, I haven't regretted anything I've done for the past four years."

"A young one, seems like it's my lucky night..."

Jack and Daniel rolled to the side as the vampire dove at the female that belonged to the voice. She dodged to the right, but went to the left and quickly stabbed at the vampire with her stake. The vamp poofed as the woman took a step back and shook her head, "And here I thought I might get some real vamps in Sunnydale, with the end of the world coming again and all that. All amateurs... all amateurs."

Daniel and Jack got up and Daniel stuck out a hand, the woman looked down at it, "Uh, thank you..."

"Faith..."


	2. Chapter 2

Buffy woke up with a start, "Who, what... hell..."

"Nope, just the backyard."

Buffy rolled into a sitting position and looked around, "Where's Willow, I should..."

"No..."

Buffy glanced over at Dawn who had a set serious face, "What?"

Dawn looked down, "She needs alone time..."

"But..."

Buffy looked up as she realized Dawn wasn't listening anymore, she had gotten up. "Buffy, I'm going to... get some air too." Dawn shouldered her book bag, "Walk to school."

"But..." Buffy took a deep breath as Dawn disappeared behind the bushes. "...have to get those cut."

"Where's Dawn going?" Buffy looked up at Kennedy.

"School."

Kennedy raised both eyebrows, "Um, Buffy... it's Six A.M."

"Oh..."

* * *

Jack dragged a hand through his short hair, and Daniel was cleaning his glasses, but didn't quite understand why that had made Faith chuckle, "So, what you're saying is that Vampires exist..."

Faith nodded matter of factly, "And a plethora of other demons as well."

Daniel put his glasses back on, "Well, it's not such a reach Jack, if you think about it..."

Jack shook his head, "I don't want to. So, how much of a chance do you think there is that our colleagues... got eaten, sucked, whatever you call it, by one of these... Vampires?"

"Bitten... and I don't know. She alone?" Daniel nodded, "That's a mark against'er." Faith pushed away from the wall she'd been leaning on. "Take my advice flyboys, don't search for her at night."

"Why?" Jack didn't look happy.

Faith shook her head at these two, "Isn't it obvious. Look..." she pointed up, "Sun's out, no Vamps... at night, no sun... Vamps come out. Look, just don't do it."

Before Jack or Daniel could speak again Faith was moving away, farther into the cemetery. Jack muttered a few choice words before Daniel pulled him towards the exit of the cemetery. "We'll start this afternoon."

* * *

Willow listened to her breath shush in and out of her lungs. It was calming, and if she did it just right she could feel her heart start to slow, and the world around her became a little bit more vivid and alive. She took one last breath and pushed herself up off the grass.

* * *

Dawn watched Willow for a moment before she moved away. She walked only a short way before she paused and knelt down. "Hey Mom. Guess you're still... dead and stuff. Hope that wherever you are, Tara's with you. You guys are gaping and laughing at how badly we mortals here on Earth are dealing... Willow's all sad, Buffy's, being Buffy. There are all these... potential slayers hanging around the house. No toothbrushes, bathroom time is non-existent. I have to... I mean, it's not like I ever got to see her before, but now I have to share Buffy even more."

Dawn stared down at the ground, "Sometimes, I wi...would it have been different if I hadn't been...created?"

Dawn jumped into the stratosphere as a hand came down on her shoulder. She calmed when Willow sat down next to her. "Never say that Dawn..."

"Why, 'cause I'm such an... integral part of the team?" Dawn put her patented teen eye roll to practice.

Willow chuckled, "Dawnie, I can't count the number of times I felt like a fifth wheel in the Scooby gang."

Dawn rolled her eyes, "C'mon Willow, you're powerful, a witch, smart up and down the list."

Willow tilted her head to one side, "You think that I just... poofy... big powerful world threatening witch?" Dawn didn't answer, so Willow continued, "I hate to tell you this Dawn, but it isn't a 'you're not a witch or a potential or a vampire' feeling you're feeling, it's a teenager feeling."

Dawn leaned against Willow's shoulder, "It's been a long couple of years."

"Why would you say that? I mean, what, your mom died, Glory sucked my girlfriend's brains out, then tried to take over the world. I sucked Tara's brains back in, Buffy died. Buffy came back from the dead, I went on magic benders, broke your arm, hurt everyone around me, Tara and I broke up. Spike and Buffy..." Willow paused looking for a word.

"...screwed around..."

Willow pursed her lips, "Well, I was looking for a different word, a more age appropriate word. But sure... that'll work, though, don't tell Buffy you said it..."

Dawn continued Willow's monologue, "...you forgot that Xander stood Anya up at the altar, then Anya tried to make Xander go splatty off the face of the Earth through us." Dawn paused, "Though, I guess that was sorta amusing in a kind of macabre way. And Anya fu..." Dawn rethought her word choice after a look from Willow, "...Anya and Spike were caught after the fact. Then... Tara... Tara happened."

"...yeah, Tara..." Willow shook her head, "And now, the end of the world..."

"...again..."

Willow rolled her eyes, "Think we'll get a vacation after this apocalypse?" Dawn laughed.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack paced in front of the bench were Daniel sat stock still. "Jack, you're wearing a hole in the cemetery." Silence came from the Colonel. "Jack, what did you say that made her run. Was it..." he trailed off. Daniel had an idea why Sam had gone AWOL, and he guessed that Jack did too, which would explain Jack's mood. "This isn't like her Jack... Sam faces things head on."

Jack shook his head, "We're not talking about this. We find her, we cuff her, we bring her back for Court Martial, and to explain to Cassie why the hell she left the closest thing she'll ever have to a kid in a lurch."

"But Jack..."

Jack held up his hand, "No. Now, get moving."

Daniel watched for a moment as Jack stalked off. He shook his head.

* * *

There was a knock on the wooden door of the classroom. "Come on in..."

Amanda blinked a few times before she walked farther into the room. "Uh, Miss Conner, it's a little dark..."

Tara glanced up a little sheepishly as she flicked on her desk light. "Sorry about that Amanda. Is there something you need help with?"

Amanda nodded, "I... Mr. Qute, he, before, said I shouldn't miss anymore... classes, but..." she looked down at the floor, "I'm going to miss more classes."

"Amanda..." After a moment the teenager looked up, "One, I'm not Mr. Qute. I'm the c-cool substitute teacher, two, is it important? Family emergency of some sort?"

Amanda nodded quickly, "Yes, yes... I-I'm sorry. I kinda. I mean, not that this wasn't a great class. It was fun to watch the movies, I mean, Hercules... half mortal..." she threw her hands up in the air, "Who knew right..."

Tara closed her eyes for a moment, "Yes, half mortal." She opened them back up, "I wish you... well with your family emergency Amanda..."

Amanda nodded as she quickly slipped out the door. Tara shook her head and took off her reading glasses. "Well, that's another gone to Buffy's troupe..." She stood up and walked over to the bank of windows that looked out onto the fields that were used for P.E. classes and sports teams.

She whirled as there was a crack of lightning in the room. A naked woman fell apparently out of the roof and crashed through the desks. "O-oh m-my..."

* * *

Willow picked up her book bag and had her hand on the doorknob before she heard footsteps. She turned, making a mental guess that it would be Kennedy. She was wrong. "Anya..."

"Going out?" Willow nodded, "I'll come with you."

Willow pushed the backpack a little farther up her shoulder, "I'm going to the library..."

"...too many cooks here?"

A surprised look came to Willow's face, "Uh, yes. I gather you want to tag along?"

"Andrew..."

Willow glanced up, usually when someone said his name the blonde 'hostage' seemed to appear, "Yeah, okay, but we go now, before they smell us and come running..."

Willow let Anya out the door first, but Anya turned back as Willow shut the door, "They can do that?"

* * *

Tara handed the naked lady her coat. "Um...hello?"

The woman quickly put the coat on and took a deep breath, "Y-" she cleared her throat, obviously she hadn't spoken in a while. "Do y..ou happen to have a pair of slacks, extra skirt?"

Tara shook her head negatively, "I-I'm...Tara Maclay..." Her real name came out before her brain could censor it and she internally winced. It was harder to switch names than any of the TV shows or movies showed it.

"I'm..." she thought about it for a moment before she blinked, "I'm Dr. Janet Fraiser. I..." she looked around, "Where am I?"

"Sunnydale, Ca-california."

Janet's eyebrows were doing dances with her eyes they were so low. "The last thing I remember was treating Wells, and then...and now..." A mumbled phrase came out of Tara's mouth too quiet for Janet

to hear, "What?"

Tara took a deep breath, "I know the feeling."

"What?"

Tara swallowed and fiddled with a pencil on her desk for a moment, "I...had the same sort of experience you had here. One moment, Willow was spattered with..." Tara's lips went into a line, "The next..."

Janet collapsed onto the floor with a groan. She put her hand to her chest and when she pulled it away it was covered in blood. "This is not good."

Tara moved over to where Janet was and helped the woman to her feet. She gently pulled the coat apart mere inches. "It's not your blood... I mean... it happened to me too. But I wasn't hurt. Ph-phantom

blood I think."

Tara colored and turned slightly as Janet pulled the borrowed jacket apart totally and frowned as she found no cut or gash. She re-buttoned the coat and winced. "I've gotten your coat all bloody."

Tara turned back towards the doctor, "I-" Tara shook her head, "I'm used to it. I'll t-take you home. You can..." Tara started picking up her things, "...call someone."

* * *

Willow looked up and looked around. It was getting to be dusk out, and everything starting to mold into one gray lump, "Tara?"

Anya rolled her eyes, "You're not gonna go all black eyes now are you?"

Willow shushed the vengeance demon, "I thought I felt Tara..."

Anya gestured up ahead, "Well, those two look quite close."

Willow shook her head and started across the street towards the Summer's house. "Just because they're walking together doesn't mean they're gay Anya..."

"I know that...I could go pretend to be a nosy person..."

Willow put her hand on the Summers' house door knob and paused for a moment before she shook her head. "No, it's not her Anya, it can never be."

Willow went in the door, but didn't close it. Anya stayed on the stoop for another moment and watched the two women walk a few yards more before she shook her head and stepped in the door to total silence.


	4. Chapter 4

Angel sat perfectly still as the core of the Scoobies and some new faces stared back at him. Anya was fretting, "It's final, the world's going to end, no more money, no more capitalism, no more life, the

world's going to end."

Xander took what he thought was a calming breath, but it came out sounding more like a hurf, "The world is not going to end Ahn..."

She pointed at the dark haired vampire with a soul, "Oh yeah, he's here isn't he. Not back in LA with his merry men... and Cordelia. Oh, what a world."

Angel got up and laid the long box he had brought with him on the table. "It's the Xiphos Sword."

Dawn wrinkled her nose, "Really?"

Angel looked over towards the high schooler. "Yes..."

"So then..." Dawn smirked, "The makers of this sword wanted everyone to know that not only was it a sword, but a sword sword."

Only Willow laughed at this, and abruptly stopped as all gazes turned to her. "Um... they probably meant The Xiphophoros Sword, although it's not green, and not a fish. Uh..." she shook her head a little sheepishly, "But then, it's big, it's pointy, guess the name really doesn't matter huh. So, does it cut specially, extra thin. I don't like when they cut the meat extra thin, then it rips up when I try to put it on the sandwich, and yes, I'm shutting up now..."

Buffy shook her head to scatter the Willow rambling cobwebs and turned towards Angel, "Thank you. Are you... will you be staying?"

Angel looked around the room. There were various degrees of welcome in the faces. Some of the slayerettes looked as though they wanted to stake him right there, while others, well, he didn't really want to think to hard why Andrew was drooling slightly. He nodded slowly and met Buffy's eyes. He could see a small smile come to her eyes. "It has been a while since I averted an apocalypse in Sunnydale."

Xander clapped the vampire a bit to hard on the back, "Well, we'll get you settled down in the basement. Move some of the juvenile delinquents into one of the free bedrooms, oh, wait, there are no free bedrooms. I guess you'll have a couple of women roomies..."

Angel muttered quietly under his breath, only Buffy hearing him, "Good thing I sleep during the day..." Buffy smirked.

* * *

As Faith staked a vamp she tilted her head to one side. "I know you're there, but you won't be for long." Tara stepped out from behind the crypt but didn't speak. Faith raised her eyebrows, "Thought you were dead. I'm no fashion critic, but uh... the hair... if I didn't have my handy spidey sense I might think you were some punked out Vamp."

Tara took a piece of hair in her fingers and twirled it for a moment before responding, "C-call it a homage. What a-are you doing in Su-Sunnydale?"

Faith crossed her arms over her chest, "I could ask you the same thing dead girl..."

Faith took a step towards Tara and started to pull the collar of Tara's shirt down, but was stopped when Tara gripped the dark slayer's arm. "Don't..."

Faith tilted her head to one side, "So, you don't smell like a Vamp, seem to have a pulse and soul. So, how'd you escape it?" Faith didn't let Tara answer, but continued with a smirk, "By the way, like what

you've done with the whole stutter thing..."

"L-look..."

Faith held up a hand and Tara ducked, a vamp rolling over her back and landed on the ground. Faith leaned down and punched her stake into his heart, resulting in the usual shower of dust. She dusted

herself off as she stood back up, "Not bad T, we make a good team. So, what grand gesture where you going to make? C'mon already, Buffy and Red'll be coming through on their nightly visit soon." Faith

raised an eyebrow, "And I'm betting that you're not ready to... come out... to them yet. Pun fully intended... So spit it out Blondie."

Tara worked her jaw for a moment before she answered, "Are you here to hurt them?"

"Scoobs and Co.?" Tara nodded and Faith shrugged, "Nah...I'm here to do the same thing as you...save the world..."

As Tara tried to find something to say to Faith's proclamation the dark slayer started to walk away. But before she was out of hearing range Tara spoke, "Faith... don't... tell..."

"...anyone I saw you." Faith nodded, "Five by Five Blon..." Faith could practically hear Tara's teeth grinding and smirked, "Five by Five T..."

* * *

"Dawn, have you seen Willow?"

"Yes, this morning..."

"Dawwnn..."

Dawn hurfed, "I'm not her keeper Buffy. You should ask Kenn... she's got the hots for her." Dawn looked back down at her Calc homework, changed a number on the paper, and nodded to herself.

At the bottom of the stairs Buffy almost slammed into Angel. She blinked, "I'd forgotten how stealthy you are, with the whole no heart beat thing."

What could almost be called a small grin creased Angel's face. "Buffy, are you all right with my being here?"

Buffy stared up for a moment before hooking her hand around the back of Angel's head and pulling him down to her level. Their mouths met as Buffy answered his question.

A throat clearing interrupted their passion, "Can anyone join this party? And don't tell me it's never crossed your mind B."

Buffy separated her lips from Angel's and took a breath. "Actually, it never has Faith. What are you doing in my house?"

Faith closed the front door and leaned against it. "At the moment, standing."

"Why?"

Faith shrugged as Angel and Buffy turned to face her. "I heard the end of the world was comin', so I decided to swing on by. Check out the situation. But hey, you don't need another actual Slayer. I'll leave."

"We're just as much slayers as you."

Faith glanced over to the doorway to the dining room. "You must be a Slayerette."

"You're a jackass..."

Faith smirked, "And you're a spitfire."

Buffy barely got in front of Kennedy to catch the younger woman by the shoulders and stop her from ripping into Faith physically, or trying to. "No..."

Faith smirked, "So, since you didn't let shortie try and kill me. That mean I get to stay?"

Buffy regarded the dark haired slayer and nodded before she walked away, dragging Kennedy with her.

Faith pushed away from the door and inclined her head, "Angel."

Angel shook his head, "Faith."

Her smirk made its presence known, "I've always had a knack for entrances and exits. So, I thought this place was supposed to be swarming with teenagers?"

Angel shook his head, "They all went to the Bronze. Except Dawn and Kennedy." Faith raised an eyebrow, and Angel just shook his head, "Do you ever not think about sex for a few hours, minutes?"

Faith thought for a moment, "Well, when I'm Slay... well... okay, not really. Hey, there's not a lot to do in the clink. Although hey, call me GED girl..."

"Well, pin a bow on you..."

Faith smirked, "If it isn't the chip off the old block."

Dawn shook her head, "And if it isn't the convict. They let you out of your cage."

Faith kept her face schooled, "Actually, nope, decided I wasn't gonna be in jail to watch the end of the world."

"Not gonna turn evil again? Help the First blow up the school."

Faith tilted her head, "Well, I think that one back fired on me Chipper. Getting stabbed, the bad trip coma. Nope, get me a good guy pin and sign me up for the newsletter."

Faith got bumped in the butt by the door and moved to one side. Andrew came through and when he spotted Faith his eyes got very large. "D-don't k-kill me..." Andrew practically jumped into Angel's

arms. "Save me."

Angel dropped the mousy young man on the floor. "She's on our side, leave it at that." With that statement, the dark haired vampire escaped out the door.

"Isn't he dreamy?"

Faith and Dawn's eyes met and they both shook their heads in amazement.

* * *

Tara climbed the back stairs up to her apartment and opened the door. She glanced around with a frown. Janet was no where to be seen. She shrugged off her jacket and took a glance into the bedroom. Janet wasn't there, Tara finally opened the door at the end of the apartment and smiled softly. She moved into the 'mystery' room of her apartment and sat down next to Janet. Their legs hung down between the bars. It was a balcony that looked over The Expresso Pump.

Janet glanced over at Tara, "Do you come out here a lot?"

Tara nodded, "More than I should p-probably." Tara looked surprised as Willow slipped into The Pump. "Who' playing tonight? Is it an open mic night?"

Janet glanced over at the younger woman again. "I think so."

Tara glanced down, "Oh, it's Mr. Giles..."

"Good musician?"

Tara nodded, "And a friend...once..."

* * *

Willow took a table in the back and out of Giles' direct line of sight. She didn't know that he'd escaped the house also. Her previous escape had been foiled by Anya, but so far, this one seemed to have worked much better. Suggesting that the girls should go to the Bronze proved a boon. Willow just wanted to forget for a bit that the world was on the brink of ending.

Giles strummed a few notes and most people quieted down.

* * *

_"I've heard there was_

_A secret chord_

_That David played, and_

_It pleased the Lord."_

Tara closed her eyes as Giles' voice glided over the notes and soothed the hole in her soul that could only be fixed by one woman. "He's a g-good musician. Gets the audience into the piece."

Janet regarded the younger woman with an interested look. "Did you leave someone..." Janet searched for a word, "...here when you died?"

_"Your faith was strong_

_But you needed proof_

_You saw her bathing_

_On the roof_

_Her beauty and the_

_Moonlight overthrew you_

_She tied you to a kitchen chair_

_She broke your throne_

_And she cut your hair_

_And from your lips_

_She drew the Hallelujah"_

Tara didn't respond until Giles had resumed with the chorus of the song. "She watched me die... or, at least fall. I... was d-dead i- immediately. Then, I watched as sh-she..." Tara shook her head, thinking that Janet wouldn't have understood that Tara seemed to have been disengaged from her body and she had to watch as the love of her life, the woman who was more than her soulmate, went on the warpath.

Killing the man who had killed her, and trying to end the world.

_"Maybe I've been here before_

_I know this room_

_I've walked this floor_

_I used to live alone_

_Before I knew you_

_I've seen your flag_

_On the marble arch_

_Love is not a victory march_

_It's a cold and_

_It's a broken Hallelujah"_

Janet restrained herself from jumping as Tara spoke in a low tone, "She was so grief stricken, and was trying to..." Tara thought a moment about how to describe Willow pumping all her dark energy and

the coven's energy into the temple. "...k-kill herself. I talked to her, th-though I knew she wouldn't hear me."

As Tara trailed off Janet draped an arm around Tara, "I bet she heard you. I bet that she knew that you'd be back. Is she here?"

Tara stared down at Willow, "Th-the red head in the back."

"Ooh, a cutie..." Tara glanced up and Janet colored a little, "Sorry... I left someone when I was killed too." They lapsed into silence.

Janet's jaw dropped, "My God above, that's..." She stood and almost pitched over the railing.

Tara caught her arm, "What? Who?"

"I need to go...I'm sorry. Thank you Tara, for the clothes, the hospitality. Everything. I need...to go..."

_"Maybe there's a God above_

_And all I ever_

_Learned from love_

_Was how to shoot_

_At someone_

_Who outdrew you_

_It's not a cry_

_You can hear at night_

_It's not somebody_

_Who's seen the light_

_It's a cold and_

_It's a broken Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah, Hallelujah"_

Tara stood there, a bit confused as Janet snagged the blue Lands End pullover that Tara had loaned her and was out the door before the song ended. She shook her head and looked back down to where Willow had also disappeared.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam leaned against the wall of one of the many crypts in the cemetery. She was tired. Emotionally, psychically, spiritually, otherworldly, you named it, she was tired of it.

"Sam?"

The blonde's eyebrows contracted, "No, I just need sleep."

"Damn right you need sleep Major Carter."

Sam closed her eyes as she turned towards the voice. She took a deep breath in and opened her eyes. "Janet?"

Janet nodded and somehow managed to catch Sam before she hit the sidewalk, "Sam, have you slept, eaten?"

"Eaten, yes, slept, no..." Sam stood up straight again, "I have... I didn't really plan this out well."

Janet got herself under one of Sam's arms, "Come on Major, let's find somewhere for you to sit and rest..."

* * *

Daniel took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "One more crypt? It's kind of..."

Jack hurfed out a breath, "Daniel, this isn't any different than one of the PFX whatever worlds that we visit each day. That girl was obviously mentally unstable."

Daniel put back on his glasses, "Even so..."

There was a scream from across the street. Jack's eyes narrowed, "Let's go."

* * *

Buffy blinked up at Dawn, who was standing over her on the couch. "Is there something..."

Dawn crossed her arms over her chest, "Missing someone?"

Buffy moved into a sitting position and rubbed at her eyes for a moment, "What in the world are you talking about."

Rona interrupted, "Willow and Kennedy went out by themselves. Well, more like Willow came back, then she and Kennedy went out together."

Buffy stood, "They're grown women, let them have some time..."

Dawn interrupted her obviously slow to awake sister, "Buffy, they didn't go out as in going out to dinner, they went out to look for Karl."

This got Buffy's attention. "What?" Dawn nodded, "Well hell, she's been in a pla...," Buffy paused, remembering their audience, "Do you know where?" Dawn shook her head. Buffy started towards the door and took her jacket from Rona, "Well, let's start hitting all the hot spots." Nods greeted her.

* * *

Tara frowned as she spotted Willow and the dark haired slayerette whose name Tara always forgot, going into a crypt that she had just seen Karl go into. She pulled her watch from a pocket in her jeans and shook her head. She looked worried and a bit apprehensive as she followed the couple.

* * *

Kennedy stepped into the crypt first and looked around. "Looks empty to me."

"Looks can be deceiving..."

Kennedy smiled, "Take you for instance. All mousy on the outside, then wham...one look in those ey..." Willow covered Kennedy's mouth with one hand and put the other to her lips in a shushing motion.

Just as she let go of Kennedy's mouth the darkness resolved into a six foot male vampire with dark hair and a sneer on his face. He rushed at the two women, who dove to opposite sides of the crypt.

Karl ignored the oldest Slayerette and advanced on Willow, "Ah, little red. You gave a whole lot of vamps a whole new view on life last year." Karl tipped an imaginary hat to Willow, "For that, I'm eternally grateful, well, one of your eternity's, not mine..."

Willow kicked at the Vampire as she looked frantically around the room. She spotted a chair, "Discerpo..."

It exploded into extremely too small pieces of wood and Willow closed her eyes as she rolled away from another attack by Karl, "Crap, if only he was a midget Vampire...um..." She suddenly opened her eyes with a small smirk, ""Hible abri, abri voyon." She repeated this over and over until she had to catch her breath. As Karl was trying to get all the Rabbits off his body Willow scurried over to Kennedy and gave her a hand up, "You don't happen to have a stake?"

Kennedy shook her head and ducked as a Rabbit came flying at them and slammed into the wall, making a bloody mess. Willow frowned as she turned to face Karl, "That was the wrong thing to do..."

She started to advance towards Karl again, but Kennedy stepped in front of her, "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

Karl laughed, "Who, you? I don't think so pipsqueak." Kennedy attacked the Vampire and was promptly thrown across the room. She landed with a roll and a grunt.

Willow stared at Karl, "You're all named Karl aren't you?" Karl smirked. "Excudo."

Instead of getting thrown back Karl stood there and let the force wave come at him. At the last moment he pulled something from under his shirt. The wave seemed to bounce off him, and sent Willow spiraling onto the floor. Karl advanced on the Red haired witch.

Kennedy tried to get Karl's attention off of Willow again, but she got backhanded across the room and slumped against the wall.

Karl turned back towards Willow and bared his teeth, "Won't hurt to take a little taste..."

Tara took a breath, gritted her teeth, and stepped from her place in the shadows into the crypt, "H-hey di-dirtbag..."

Karl pivoted to face Tara, "Well, if it isn't the woman that makes the demons pee their pants..." Karl sprang towards Tara, who dodged to the side and rolled. She bumped into something human and looked over into Willow's eyes.

They both froze, "Tara?"

Tara grasped one of Willow's hands and pulled her away from the advancing Karl. She focused on the Vampire, "Discedo."

With a shower of dust Karl poofed out of existence.

Willow looked down at their joined hands, and back up at the person she had thought was dead. "What did you do to your hair?"

Tara smiled sadly as Willow collapsed into her body. She could feel her shirt getting wet from her former girlfriend's tears, but didn't have the emotional strength to point out that they had an audience. And said audience was staring daggers into Tara's brain.

Tara spoke softly, "Willow... I think Kennedy is hurt..."

Willow sniffled as she looked up and over at Kennedy. She scrambled up and towards her. "Hey, you okay?" Willow started to look Kennedy over.

But Kennedy placed a hand over Willow's and shook her head, "I'm fine Will... I... I'm fine... really. Tell Buffy that I'll be back before..." Kennedy groaned as she stood up, followed quickly by Willow. "Uhh...breakfast."

With that Kennedy was out the door. Willow looked between the door and Tara and finally gave into the pull of Tara. She hugged her former girlfriend with all her might. Tara simply wrapped Willow up in her arms and didn't move a muscle.

Willow finally moved back a step, "Tara... where were you? Why didn't you contact me, or Buffy...or..."

Tara's mouth went into a thin line, "I..." Tara shook her head, "I can't... not yet..."

Willow backed up a step, "Sorry, I guess that..." she smiled a little, "You weren't in a hell dimension were you?"

Tara put an arm around Willow's waist and let a small smile edge onto her face, "No... no I wasn't... you should get home." Tara ran her hand along the bruise that was forming on Willow's cheek. "You need to get ice on that..."

Willow swallowed as she looked up at Tara. "Ice... a very good idea..." she shook her head, "Right, for my face too..."

* * *

Buffy glanced around the crypt with a frown. She spotted a pile of dust in the corner. "Okay, so where are they then."

Faith spotted a piece of fabric hanging on part of the doorway and snagged it. "You know, I'm betting that wherever Red is right now... it's where she needs to be."

Buffy rolled her eyes and put her stake away, "Stick with being a big bad Faith." she walked past the dark haired slayer, "You suck at being philosophical..." Faith rolled her eyes and followed Buffy back out of the crypt.

* * *

Willow sat down, although it was more like a controlled fall, on a bench. "Okay, rest, just need a little. You couldn't have driven?"

This coaxed a small smile to Tara's face, "I wasn't planning on b-being a knightess in shining armor and r-rescuing anyone." Tara sat down next to the redhead. Neither said anything but simply stared up

at the stars. "The boomerang is out."

Willow looked over at Tara, "What?"

Tara pointed up at the sky and traced six stars with her finger. "The boomerang. My favorite constellation."

Willow had glanced up to the sky and now looked at Tara again. The blonde woman was still looking up at the sky. "Is the boomerang your favorite for... uh, some reason?"

"Three years ago, I met this girl, an Aries." Tara paused and put an arm around Willow's shoulders. Both women shut out all the bad things had come before. Everything that had gone wrong in their relationship, and all they had yet to face. "Actually, she slammed into me..." Willow started to speak, but was shushed. "I'm telling the story right?" Willow smiled. "I knew at first sight that she was explosive, and Red, well, her hair. It took her a while to come out, uh... I mean around." Willow slapped Tara playfully in the stomach. "But she did, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me."

As Tara trailed off Willow spoke up in a quiet voice, "Even with... everything?"

Tara brought Willow's head into the crook of her neck, "Yes, there were... are enough goods to more than equal the bad stuff."


	6. Chapter 6

Tara stared out the window of the kitchen. She knew that she had to talk to Willow about, well, everything eventually. Tara looked up at the clock, she could slip out, then once this whole... evil thing was resolved.

Willow's footsteps echoed on the stairs. Tara took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead. She was getting a headache right in the middle of her brain.

She felt Willow's chin rest on her shoulder, while she could smell Willow's newly washed hair that tickled the side of her face. "What'cha thinking about Tara?"

Tara shrugged, "Nothing, everything..." Tara could feel Willow sigh,

"What's that?"

Willow gestured towards the bag on the counter, and Tara blushed a little, "Salami with Peanut Butter..."

Willow smiled, "You made Dawn lunch..."

Tara turned around and faced Willow, "I... it was something to do with my hands. While I was deciding... I... uh, I was going to start p-pancakes when you came down..."

Willow's face lit up, "Shapes?"

Tara closed her eyes with a smile, "I guess..." she opened them with trepidation, "I just... I should probably get home..."

Willow grasped Tara's upper arm, "Please, stay, Dawn will love to see you."

Tara looked down at Willow's hand and back up to her face, and nodded, "I'll make some Pancakes..."

A smile came to Willow's face, "Ah...you should probably make a larger batch than usual, we have... quite a group that live here now..."

"Casa Summers..."

Willow's smile got bigger, "Yeah...Dawn'll probably be up soon. Since she and a couple of the other girls have school today."

Tara moved around the kitchen making the batter, "Is she still doing well?"

Willow sat down at the counter and turned towards Tara. "Yes... yes she is... she's usually the second one up..."

Tara glanced at Willow, "And you're the first..."

Willow shrugged as she blushed, "Buffy saves the world at night, so the least I can do is cook breakfast and make lunch." Willow looked down for a moment and a comfortable silence reigned in the kitchen.

"Did you know Giles is back?"

Tara nodded, "I uh..." she met Willow's eyes for a moment before looking down, "Yes...I've been k-keeping... tabs on you and all the Sc-Scoobies."

Willow got up and stood next to Tara at the griddle, she wrapped one arm around Tara's waist. "Why..." Willow took a breath, "Why did you stay away?"

Tara licked her lips, "Don't you mean how did I get back?"

Willow nodded, "That too, but, b-baby steps you know... Why did you stay away?"

Tara didn't speak for a bit, "I didn't know how to. I-I m-mean, I c-couldn't have just appeared and have been l-like, 'hello, you buried my body, b-but h-hey, I'm back...' You... I..." Tara took a deep breath, "The day after I... it was a few months ago, you were laughing and looked happy..." Tara trailed off.

Willow gripped Tara tighter, "Tara... you could have done exactly that. I was so...in so much pain. It was all an act." Willow put her head on Tara's shoulder. "I-I kinda almost destroyed the world when you died..."

Tara nodded, "I heard that there was a witch who was large with the butch... k-killing people around town."

Willow pulled away from Tara, who quickly turned and caught Willow before she could put more distance between the two of them. "I-I'm s-sorry, that was s-supposed to be a joke..." Tara lifted Willow's chin, "I would have done the same thing Will..."

Willow pulled away and sat back down on a stool. "No... you wouldn't have. You would have found him and let the authorities take care of him. I... I also killed Rack."

Tara stared into Willow's eyes, "And saved so many people from so much pain..."

Willow swallowed, "So, how did you get back to the land of the living anyway."

Tara turned back to the stove, "I don't know..." she paused, "Maybe D'Hoffryn...?"

Willow practically screamed, "WHAT?"

Tara covered Willow's mouth, and pulled her hand away when she felt Willow lick her palm. "Willow..."

Willow waved a single finger at Tara, "No, Willow-tongue, you're gone a year and you forget..."

Tara smiled and shook her head as she turned back towards the counter. Willow put her head on Tara's shoulder. Tara turned her head towards Willow, and the redhead caught Tara's lips in her own. When she finally let go both women took in a deep breath of oxygen, but before either of them could say a word they heard footsteps approaching the kitchen.

Dawn rubbed her eyes and spoke from the doorway, "Mornin'... I smell pancakes..." she yawned, "I thought you gave up after you burned them for the third ti..." she finally looked up, "Buffy?"

Tara turned around to put pancakes on a plate for Dawn, "Uh...no..."

Dawn's eyes got big and she put her hands up in a defensive posture, "Run Willow, why are you just standing there... it's the First..."

Dawn lunged at Tara, but was caught by Willow and they both collapsed on the ground. "She's not the First Dawn... please, believe me..."

Dawn beat against Willow's shoulders repeating, she's dead over and over. Both Willow and Dawn were pulled out of their minds with the clearing of a throat. "Uh...Willow?"

Willow looked up and sprang from the ground to get between Kennedy and Tara. "Don't Kennedy."

Kennedy didn't move the sword that was now pointing at Tara's throat. "Tara is dead, this is just another trick by the First to get us to let down our guards. Come on Willow, you're smarter than this crap."

Willow pushed the sword away from her neck with a single finger, "This has nothing to do with smarts Kennedy, the First could not fake this." Willow stepped to one side and ran her hand along Tara's shoulder. "Of that I'm sure."

There was a scratching at the door. Willow looked towards it and back to Kennedy, "We're all friends here Kenn- I need to let Miss Kitty in. You promise not to kill Tara?"

Kennedy took an aggrieved breath but nodded. Dawn slowly got nearer to Tara. "T-tara?"

Tara looked over at Dawn with tears in her eyes, "Dawnie, you have... you're such a beautiful, mature young woman now, only a year and yet..."

Dawn looked Tara up and down, "Tara?"

Tara opened her arms, "I wouldn't lie about who I am Dawn." A small smile came to her face, "D-don't let the h-hair throw you off... I've been told it is... horrendous..."

Willow spoke from the doorway with a bunch of cat in her arms, "I said quirky..."

Tara shrugged as Dawn practically smothered her with a hug. Tara simply closed her arms around the girl and hugged back as firmly as she could. Dawn finally let go and smiled, "It's really you..."

Kennedy rolled her eyes and looked up at the ceiling, "It's the mojo again... floating candles, reading auras..."

Dawn squared her shoulders, "No, it is the fact that Tara was... when Buffy was dead, Tara... we, and..." Dawn took a breath, "Yes, I can

tell the difference between her and the first fucking evil..."

"Watch your language..."

Tara and Willow stared at each other after responding in chorus, both barely blinking. It was during this staring match that Buffy walked in, "You ready to go Dawn?"

Dawn nodded and picked up her lunch bag. She sniffed, "Is that Salami and Peanut Butter?"

Buffy raised an eyebrow, "Why are you asking me? Willow made it."

Willow let Miss Kitty down and cleared her throat, Buffy looked up and didn't move, just blinked. "Tara..."

Willow started to speak, but Tara interrupted her, "Hi."

Buffy turned to Kennedy, "On three we jump it..."

Willow and Dawn stepped in front of Tara almost as one. Buffy took a step forward, "She's NOT the First Evil Buffy. Hell, I'm having Deja Vu all over again, is it a slayer thing?"

Tara opened her mouth and closed it. She finally stepped out from behind Dawn and Willow, "I... I should go." She looked at Willow with a sad face, and quickly left out the kitchen door.

Buffy spoke, "Kennedy, follow her."

Willow grabbed Kennedy by the arm, "No...damnit."

Kennedy gently removed Willow's hand and shook her head, "Sorry Willow, your judgment is clouded. Buffy's right, Tara's dead..."

Buffy held a hand up, "Don't engage, just recon."

Kennedy nodded and went out the door. Dawn looked down at the bag in her hand, "But she made Salami and Peanut Butter and shapes pancakes."

* * *

Giles walked into the living room followed by Althenea, and looked confusedly at the dour faces of four of the Slayers-in-Training, and Buffy, Xander, and Anya, "Did I miss something?" When no one answered immediately he kept going, "This is Althenea, she thought that she should come directly. The coven reported that there was an extraordinary surge of power that happened yesterday night here in Sunnydale." He paused, "Where are Willow and Dawn? Where is Kennedy?"

Anya was the one who spoke up, "They stormed out after Buffy and Kennedy threatened Tara with death, or so I hear, I always miss the good lesbian stuff. They said something about finding her."

Giles held up a hand, "Excuse me, did you say Tara?"

Anya nodded, "These ones all think it was The First Evil. Buffy sent Kennedy to follow Tara."

"Are you bloody mad, you sent Kennedy to follow the First Evil?"

Anya stood up, "No one seems to be listening, it wasn't the First Evil, it was Tara."

Giles tilted his head to one side, "And how do you know this?"

Anya squared her shoulders, "Because Willow and Dawn believe that she is Tara. If it were one of them alone, maybe Tara is the big evil, but both of them...no..."

Anya started towards the front door, pushing by Giles, "When you all get your heads out of your collective asses call me and we can save the world, 'kay?" She kept mumbling as she walked out, "Hmm...another powerful witch, yes, why don't we alienate her so that she'll never help us... oh good plan Gilesy poo, works for me... and we get rid of the pesky person who could win it all for us... Willow... smart that is..."

Giles looked to Buffy, "What do you think?"

Buffy frowned, "Tara is dead. We buried her body with an open casket, she IS dead."

* * *

As Tara slipped her key into the door of her apartment she felt a hand on her shoulder. She slowly turned and took a deep breath, "H-hell Colonel you s-scared the living daylights out of me."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "I wouldn't think you would scare easily Astra. May we come in?"

Tara opened the door and gestured that they should enter first. "Do you need something Doctor, Colonel?"

Daniel nodded, "We have a bit of a problem involving our... AWOL officer."

Tara went about tidying up her apartment some, since she had a hunch that either Dawn or Willow would come looking for her sooner rather than later. "How can I help?"

Jack tilted his head to one side, "Just like that?"

Tara raised her eyebrows, "What did you expect me to want to get p-paid or something?"

Jack cleared his throat and interrupted, "It would probably be better if you came with us?"

Tara pulled a hand through her hair, "Sure...you didn't leave her alone?"

Daniel shook his head as all three exited the apartment, "No, we left her with one of her... co-workers..."

* * *

Willow looked up as a hand fell on her shoulder. Her face fell when she saw it was Dawn. "Oh, I see, I get second rate now?"

Willow took a deep breath, "No, I mean, I'm glad it's you...but..."

"You'd rather I was Tara..." Dawn got up and gave Willow a hand up from the bench. "This is a small town, and it can't be too hard to find a woman who's hair could fuel a nuclear reactor it's so red."

Willow smiled for a moment before she put her head in her hands, "We're never going to find her."

They had stopped in front of the library. Dawn tilted her head, "Do you have your laptop Willow?"

"What does that..."

Dawn interrupted Willow, "We could try to find out what other name she would use... what does Tara mean?"

Willow thought for a moment, "Uh... big place where it's windy?"

Dawn furrowed her eyebrows, "What?"

Willow shook her head, "...Nevermind. It's a good idea, and if we do it in the library, I can hook up to the WiFi and search on my laptop while you use one of their computers."

Dawn frowned, "Yeah, that's fair, I get the PC, you get the Mac..."

A small smile came to Willow's lips, "Well, I never thought I'd hear that coming from you Dawnie, I thought you were soundly in Bill Gate's corner givin' him a sponge bath..."

Dawn made a face before she spoke as they walked into Sunnydale Public Library, "Yesterday in the school library I was working on a project on one of the PCs, I was practically finished, but hadn't

saved it recently..." Willow winced, "I guess I opened up one too many d... programs. It crashed so nicely, pretty color blue..."

Willow patted Dawn on the back, "Well, it just so happens that not only do various incarnations of OS X have the same pretty color blue, but also happen to have the cute and nutritious apple."

* * *

Tara ground to a halt inside the crypt. "Janet?"

Jack frowned, "You know who Fraiser is?"

Janet looked up from where she was reclined. She had Sam lying against her, but the Major looked very limp. "Tara... thank you... I don't think." Janet collected herself, "I don't think it is anything medical."

Tara moved over to where Janet was and sat down on the floor. "Has anything touched her?"

Janet nodded quickly, "Seven feet tall, scaley, deep voice..." she tilted her head to one side, "...kinda seemed to be compensating for something. I think whatever it tried to do to her, was somehow halted

part way by the traces of Naquadah in her body."

Tara opened one of Sam's eyelids and shook her head, "She still has a pulse." Janet nodded, "Okay, I h-have no idea what you just said, but I think. I just need some..."

"Anything Tara...just save her."

Tara kept talking as she reached into the bag at her side, "I-it's not my place to ask, but are you t-two...?" Tara left the rest of the sentence to the void. Knowing that if in fact Janet and Sam were that

the Dr. would understand what she was asking, and if they weren't... well, Tara hadn't thought of that when the question came out of her mouth.

Tara heard a click and she looked up into the barrel of Jack's nine millimeter, "N-N-nice w-workm-mansh-ship...n-now...c-could you p-put that d-down?"

* * *

An IM popped up from SlayerII. 'I found something, go to: Firstnamesfirst and enter Tara...'

Willow did just that and thought for a moment before she went back a couple of pages, grumbling when she couldn't just hit the back button once because of the stupid fastclick ad that had imbedded itself in her back list. She quickly typed something, but changed the choice to 'Search in Meaning'. A screen popped up and Willow scrolled up and down it a few times. "Hmm...if I were Tara's new name, what would I be... well, might as well start with the beginning of the alphabet."

Willow IMed Dawn back, 'I'm gonna start at the beginning, you start at the end.'

Almost immediately came the reply back with a cheeky grin emoticon, 'I already did?'

Willow quickly responded, 'Shhh...'

All she got back was a laughing emoticon. She went to work, skipping the first name, Agapoop, because it was a male name. "And stupid to boot... Astra, Greek for star, let me be lucky..."

She searched through every agency that she could think of and could find no place with the name Astra anything attached to it. She paused for a moment before a small smile came to her face as she typed more furiously than she had been. In a moment a record popped up.

She switched to the IM software and Buzzed Dawn, 'I found her,'

Willow watched from her vantage point as Dawn shut down the browser and made her way over to where Willow was. "Really?"

Willow turned the laptop around so that it faced Dawn who laughed. "A Library card? Here?"

Willow shrugged, "Well, Tara wasn't stupid," she sobered a little, "I guess she was listening more than I thought when I tried to teach her the not so legal stuff about the computer."

Dawn turned the laptop back towards Willow, "Oh, she'd listen to you recite the phonebook and you know it."

Willow cleared her throat, "Astra...Connor. There's even an address in here. She lives in Sunnydale." Willow jotted down the address and shut off and closed her laptop. "Well, there is good news, I'm not named Deirdre, so she has a chance of not dying."

"What?"

Willow shook her head, "Nevermind.

* * *

Tara kept speaking over Sam's body as a still twitchy Jack, a smirking Daniel and a very worried Dr. Janet Fraiser looked on. Finally she stopped and sat back. Janet frowned, "Now what?"

"We wait."

* * *

Willow frowned as she stepped into Tara's apartment. As she surveyed the walls she shook her head, "Oh, this is very much Tara."

Dawn picked up a Magic book and leafed through it. "But how do we know where she went?"

Willow was silent, and finally Dawn came over to see what had Willow so transfixed. "It's a Latin I book... I don't get it..."

Willow had closed her eyes, "It's Amanda's Latin I book..."

"No..." Dawn shook her head, "Amanda's is back at the hou... oh... She..." Dawn winced, "She was right there the whole time."

Willow shook her head, "The bright red haired woman I saw when I walked home from the library with Anya. I thought that I felt Tara, and I... I did." She picked up the Latin book and reared back as if it

had bit her.

Dawn kept a steady hand on Willow's back and waited for the red witch's eyes to open back up, "What was it?"

Willow threw the book onto the bed, "Oh my, that was so very Phoebe of me..." Dawn's eyebrows raised, "Sorry, the Joss crypt. They're in the Joss crypt, and so is he..."

"Joss crypt? They?"

Willow glanced around the apartment, but didn't find what she had hoped to. She made her way to the door, Dawn trailing behind her. "The Josses, Coraldo Joss, Partic Joss, Suman Joss, Kellog Joss. They farmed Alfa Sprouts or something..."

Dawn pulled Tara's door closed behind her, satisfied when she heard it click locked. "Willow, you're entirely too smart..."


	7. Chapter 7

Sam sucked in a large breath and immediately started coughing. "Gently, gently." Janet helped the blonde haired Major sit up a bit more. "God, Sam, you gave us a scare."

Sam glanced around starting with her CO and ending with Janet after a prolonged look at Tara. "Uh, what happened?"

It was Jack who spoke up, "We heard commotion and came lookin' to find you on the floor having a seizure, and that..." He pointed to a green and gray creature riddled with bullets. "We took care of... it and got Astra..."

"I thought your name was Tara?" Janet met Tara's eyes.

Tara swallowed and continued the story. "You were probably hi-t with a demon's deceleration spray. Uh, you're l-lucky that it wasn't one that you had to be-behead."

Daniel closed took off his glasses, "And I thought Unas and Goa'uld were a handful."

Sam's eyebrows contracted, "There are no such things as demons."

"Y-you should tell that to the V-vampires and Werewolves."

* * *

Buffy picked up her phone. "Yep. Where...the what crypt. I'm, no, I didn't know that. I'm so... no, don't, Willow... Damnit." Buffy slammed down the phone, "Giles, assemble the posse."

Kennedy hefted the sword she had been doing drills with onto her shoulder. "We're gonna kick some First ass."

Andrew pumped a fist in the air, "Yeah..." all gazes swung onto him, "Uh, or I could make...the v-victory d-dinner."

Buffy pulled an axe out of her chest 'o weapons. "You have two working hands?" Andrew nodded apprehensively, "Then you fight. This isn't a training run anymore. It'll be him or us, us or him... Let's go."

Faith hung back for a moment, watching as the Slayerettes crowded around Buffy and talked in voices that were mostly scared and a little excited. She didn't jump when she heard Angel's voice behind her, "Did you ever think that she'd be leading this rag-tag bunch into a battle that would decide the fate of the world."

Faith shrugged, "She's done it before."

Angel shook his head, "Not really, when the Mayor..." Angel paused realizing who he was talking to but continued when Faith didn't say a word, "Sure the students knew that they were going to blow up their school and that something weird was going on, but these girls Buffy has taught and been a sort of Watcher to..."

A short laugh came from Faith, "Don't let the council hear you say that, wait, I forgot they and their tea set got blown up as well..." Angel shook his head and walked away.

"You won't win."

Faith glanced over at where the voice came from, it was the Mayor. Faith simply shrugged, "Then we'll die trying, I know I don't want to live in a world where you win... Bad is good, Evil isn't... I learned that the hard way, knife to the gut way." She pushed off the wall and walked right through the First's apparition and towards the blonde slayer and the rest of the slayerettes and Scoobies.

* * *

As they all stepped into the crypt a booming voice came from all around them, "You will all die painful horrible deaths."

Bringers came from all over the place. Two or three to each Scoobie and Slayerette, but they were stupid, dumb brutes and the girls (and Giles, Xander, Angel, Althenea, and Andrew) dispatched them with only a minimum of trouble. It was Faith who found the hole. "There's something beyond the crypt."

Buffy shook her head as she polished off the last Bringer in the room, "There always is. C'mon, but be careful."

"Aw, B, didn't know you cared..."

Buffy didn't answer, but moved through the opening warily, she came to a stop, causing Faith to bump into her back and raise an eyebrow, "Oh, that's cliched."

It was Faith who spotted Willow sprawled against the wall to their right. She made her way over to the red head and hauled her up with negligent ease. "Come on Will, we need your witchy goodness right

about now."

A large monster, at least six plus feet towered in the room. The room was just tall enough to hold him and not much more. "Does Death mean something new in this new millennium."

"Been there, done that...twice..." Buffy swung at him, but he evaded her sword with ease.

Willow searched the room frantically. Finally she could feel Tara. She looked over towards the corner and found Tara and the three Air Force officers huddled around Sam. But there was no way she could get past the First to get to the group. She started when she heard her name in her own head, but an internal smile spread across her body. She thought, "Tara?"

Tara thought right back, "That's not him Willow. It's...not him..."

Willow nodded, getting what her soulmate was saying, even if Tara didn't totally. Willow concentrated, "Ihr Goetter, ruft Euch an! Verbergt Euch nicht hinter falschen Gesichtern." The First took a step back as he started to shrink until he was about Buffy's height, practically whiter than Spike, and very bald. Everyone stood there with their mouths slightly agape.

The First spoke, "Damn you Witch..." Suddenly Willow was being slowly pulled along the floor towards and then past The First. With the First's distraction Tara gestured that they should move to where everyone else was. They surprisingly made it, and everyone formed ranks around the Officers and their injured, while Tara moved up to the front between Buffy and Faith. "You think I really care what I look like when I take over the world?" Fire suddenly encircled the naturally red haired witch. "Ah, that's much better. Now, I don't think we've been properly introduced, I'm the First Really Evil Dude, but please, call me Fred." With a thought everyone in the room was thrown against the wall where they had come in.

Willow started to try to break through the barrier, her eyes going black. Fred smirked as he heard Tara's teeth grinding. "Well, say it all ready Tara my darling, tell her that she shouldn't use the black arts, that it'll feed me, and here she was doing so well. Althenea you must be so devastated." Fred cackled, "Too bad it's already too late... for all of you. Who do you think brought me here...her..."

Buffy took a step forward, "No, Willow doesn't have that much power."

Fred looked at the short blonde, "Only The Slayer could say something as short sited as that. You think you're the only one with power in your little scared doggie group."

Buffy flew back again the room and crashed into the wall with an audible oof. Faith stepped forward, "You wanna try that with me baldy?"

A laugh bubbled out of Fred, "You do have balls. More than the blonde, but then, I did have an affinity for brunettes." Faith was hoisted into the air by her throat and for a few seconds struggled for oxygen. After those seconds she went totally limp. Fred let her fall to the ground. She was surrounded by the Slayerettes and the empty place at the front of the group was taken back by Buffy, sword still in hand.

Fred laughed...evilly, "The witch is the only one who can save you, and you can't get to her."

Tara frowned as she looked around, "There has to be a catch, there is a-always a c-catch..."

Fred raised an eyebrow, "This one is smart, there is indeed a catch. Her soulmate can step through the fire unscathed, but only her soulmate." Fred smirked evilly, "And well, looks like we have a lot to choose from don't we..." Fred put his... hand... on his chin, "Is it a current... severely unreturned love, spunky, young as hell Kennedy..." Fred paused dramatically, "Or, maybe it's a former crush. Xander

Harris, yellow crayons and all, or, maybe there is no sex involved, like that lame TV show...Princess Hoo-Hah something or other, maybe it's her best friend Buffy Summers. Or, last but not least, maybe it's Tara, the one who literally... well, mostly literally... came back from the dead for Willow. Of course, you all are not even sure if she is actually Tara or another version of me. It's up to you. Or, you could always try to win without Willow." Fred smirked again, "If I'm destroyed, the barrier will fall... clock is

ticking people... who's it gonna be? Am I going to have to choose for you? Because you're going to choose, I think I'd choose..." Fred tilted his head to one side, "Alexander. Kind of cute, unassuming, bet

he has good genes to pass on even though he's kinda homely."

"Hey."

Fred rolled his eyes, "I'm evil remember? But back to my grandstanding. Will someone fry? Or will good triumph over The First Evil."

Tara took a step towards the flames but Buffy held her back, "No. Let Kennedy... or Xander, let them go."

Tara pushed Buffy back and whirled to face her. "What goes through your mind Buffy... huh... you think that you know love. You wouldn't know your soulmate if he tried to kill you." Tara poked Buffy between the breasts, "I came back from a place that was so beautiful, so peaceful, maybe you know what I'm talking about? Heaven? But I came back... I'm not even one hundred percent sure WHY I came back, but you know what. For all the death, destruction, sickness, and general crappiness and suckiness of this plane of existence, I don't mind one bit, because my soulmate is here. So, no one is going to get fried, I'm going to go get... my everything, my always, my girl, and we're gonna kick..." she glanced over her shoulder, "Fred's ass."

With that Tara whirled back around and stormed towards Willow's fiery cage. Buffy blinked, "She didn't stutter...and wow, slightly acerbic"

Dawn quietly spoke, "Don't you remember, her heart doesn't stutter."

* * *

Daniel looked over Sam at Janet, "Should we tell her that it wasn't quite Heaven?"

Janet shook her head, "Some things are better left unsaid Daniel." He nodded, but jumped when Sam started to go into convulsions again. Janet grit her teeth as she re-arranged herself so that Sam's head was on her lap. "Come on, don't give into some... mystical crap Samantha Carter." Sam slowly stopped shaking but didn't regain consciousness.

* * *

Althenea spoke in a quiet tone to Giles, "Rupert, do you think this is wise. There is nothing in this world that can make the power that the coven felt. Not even Willow, Tara has to be a part of The First Evil..."

Giles looked from the Slayers and company to where Tara was taking a deep breath and staring through the fire at Willow. "I think..." Giles shook his head, "I think that if anyone would come back to this..." he looked around, "...sad excuse of existence for love, it would be Tara."

Tara took a deep breath and looked across at Willow who mouthed something. Tara frowned, not getting what Willow was trying to say. The red head mouthed it again, 'It's you'. Tara smiled a little and blushed a little, held up her first and second finger crossed, and took another deep breath.

"Tick tock, tick tock. This is time sensitive little witchy, go now or I won't be so Q anymore..."

Tara rolled her eyes and Willow smiled. Tara muttered as she stepped forward, "I'm her soulmate, I'm her soulmate, I'm her soulmate..."

She didn't feel anything, and suddenly, she was on the other side of the field with Willow right there. The fire didn't fall away though. Instead it almost seemed to get taller and stronger, and started to close in.

Fred threw the Slayers and everyone else against one of the walls, "Do you think I'm stupid, now there is NO way I can be stopped."

Willow started to hit the fire barrier with one of her hands, but Tara stopped her. "No. You'll only get hurt."

They both watched as Buffy, Faith, Dawn, Althenea, Angel, Giles and what was left of the Slayerettes tried to protect the military officers. "What are we supposed to do."

Tara took a deep breath and stepped behind Willow. She threaded her arms through Willow's armpits and grasped Willow's hands in her own. "We can do this. You give the power, I'll give the control sweetie."

Willow leaned back against Tara's body, "Ooh, like the TV show Charmed, I did a Phoebe, or I guess a Cordy, ooh, I think I like it being a Phoebe, I touched a book and suddenly I knew where to find you you know. But we're like that, the power of three, well, except we're two...and don't have Brenda from 90210, you know, that was a good show. Well, until they split up Kelly and Brandon, and addicted everyone to drugs, and started killing them off, and Amber Theisin was good on Saved by The Bell, but her as a bad act...much more cheery than drug addicted. Shoulda been canceled after... I'm rambling, I-I'm sorry..."

Tara smiled and kissed Willow's temple, "I love your rambling."

Willow tilted her head backwards and caught Tara's lips with her own. "And I love you Tara Maclay."

With that Willow took a deep breath and let all the walls in her mind fall. The fire started glowing a blue color and both Willow and Tara could feel the heat lessening. "It's working..."

Tara kissed Willow's neck, "Shhh darling, you might be simply pumping, but I need to channel..."

Willow smirked for a moment before she remembered to look a little abashed at where her mind had dove with Tara's comment, "Sorry..."

Suddenly the fire was simply gone and both sets of eyes focused on Fred. He was advancing towards Buffy. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks. "What the hell..."

He started sliding backwards without taking a step. In Willow's ear Tara whispered, "Like the soda machine, in reverse..."

Everyone looked up when Willow laughed a practically bubbly laugh. The two witches rotated Fred so that he faced them. He was doing some concentrating of his own, and suddenly Willow almost fell to the ground. Tara took a tighter hold on her soulmate and spoke, "Fight it Willow... you can win."

"No... no... I'm good, I'm..." she growled, "fucking good..." Tara had to hide a grin at the language Willow used to proclaim her goodness. As Buffy and the rest watched, her eyes went to all black and back to their natural color more than once.

Xander spoke up from the peanut gallery, "Think yellow crayon."

Tara gritted her teeth, "Y-you're n-not h-helping Alexander Harris. Damn you Willow, I am n-not loosing you now. Fight HIM!"

Willow groaned after a minute and spoke softly, "How about you fight, I control..."

Tara frowned for a second, "Hold tight Will. We can do this..."

Willow mumbled, "Easy for you to say..."

Tara smiled a little, "N-not really..."

"I have an idea..."

Both women focused on Fred's nether region. To the surprise of everyone involved, including the slayers and co who were trying to beat up on Fred the old fashioned way, it seemed to work a bit.

Behind everyone Sam finally came around again. "Ugh..."

Janet put a restraining hand on Sam, "Don't move okay..."

Sam looked around, "What's happening?"

It was Daniel who spoke up, "They are fighting with the... I believe they called it... the First Evil, or Fred, or something?"

Jack shook his head, "I get the feeling they do this every day..."

Sam adjusted her body and pulled something out from under her. "Would this help?"

Janet closed her eyes, "You brought a Zat off the base..."

"So court martial me, oh, wait." Sam pushed herself so that she was reclined against Janet and mostly sitting up and took aim. "Lord let this work on... whatever... that is..."

Sam shot the first and second bolts in rapid succession. She had to re-aim as Fred started coming towards the group of four military officers. He raised his hand, but it was stopped in mid swing as the third bolt from the Zat'nik'ital hit him and he disintegrated into nothing.

* * *

Willow closed her eyes. They still sat on the ground, not quite having enough energy to get up yet, "We averted the apocalypse again..."

"You know, there isn't supposed to be a plural of apocalypse..." Tara rubbed her eyes, "...especially when its the five or six plural...o-one or t-two maybe..."

Willow smiled, "Part of the job..." Her smiled faded a little, "You didn't have to come back Tara...I...I heard what you said about heaven."

Tara looked up at the stone ceiling, "I... I saw, or talked to, or something with my Mom, and my Grandmother, and two of my Aunts... but I didn't s-see you... and that made it a dark ugly place..."

Willow smiled contentedly, "What in the world am I going to do now..."

Tara swallowed, "You have to d-do what makes y-you ha-happy..."

"Deja Vu." Willow laughed and laughed until she had tears streaming down her face. She finally composed her self enough to take a gasping breath and simply smiled. She turned over so she was chest to chest with Tara, and placed one of her hands on Tara's face, "Oh my love, only you would ask that silly silly question again. You have now been firmly confirmed as my soulmate, you stepped through fire for me, and yet all you want is my happiness." Willow leaned forward and kissed Tara firmly. "You're my other half..." Willow smirked, "Better half even... cuter too, even with that..." Willow shuddered, an action that she hadn't even done during the battle with The First. "...awful color hair."

Tara smiled as she slowly started to get up. As Willow and Tara detangled themselves Faith held out a hand to each of them and hauled the duo up forcibly. "Nice save..."

Tara gripped one of Faith's arms, "You look hurt..."

Faith pried her arm away from Tara, "Nah, Five by Five..."

From the back of the room came Sam's voice, "I haven't heard that in the longest time..."

Everyone looked at her, it was Willow who asked the question, "What does it mean?"

"It's radio jargon, it uh... confirms that the radioed transmission was received clear and loud. Rated one to five, uh... the first number for clearness and the second, the second's for loudness."

Everyone kind of looked at each other, "Oh, that's actually kinda lame..."

Faith glared back at Sam who simply shrugged, "That would be why I never told anyone where it came from..." She shook her head.

Kennedy spoke up, "Guess you'll have to get a new lame saying huh... Don't run with scissors, Catch ya on the Other side?"

Faith looked Kennedy up and down, "Watch it little girl, I could take you with both hands tied behind my back."

Kennedy scoffed, "Please, I've been doing this since I was eight..."

Faith laughed, "Try six."

Kennedy's intended reply was stopped by that, "Really?"

Faith nodded towards Buffy, "Oh yeah, don't learn from this amateur, I could teach you twice what she knows..."

Kennedy put a hand on Faith's arm and stuck her tongue out, "Teach me oh wise Slayer..." Faith gave a laugh, and both women smirked and left the room.

Willow whispered in Tara's ear, "Two down."

Willow frowned and Tara took hold of her hand and led her over to Sam and Janet. Daniel and Jack had already left the crypt with Jack mumbling, and Daniel trying to placate him. "Thank you... Major Carter

is it?"

Sam nodded and shook Tara and Willow's hands. "Sam, and I should be thanking you. You got me..." There was a poke in her side, "...us out of a tight spot."

Tara shook her head, "You can do something for me though..."

"Name it..."

Tara gripped Willow's hand tighter, "Never let anything be left unsaid."

Sam and Janet's eyes met for a moment before they looked back at Willow and Tara. Janet finally smiled and shook her head, "We'll try..." She cleared her throat, "We... I think we need to get going. Have no fear, we'll keep mum on all this... end of the world stuff... mostly since no one would believe us."

Tara spoke, "Wait a moment." She put her hand in her pocket and pulled out two keys, she threw them at Sam, who caught them with negligent ease. "I don't think I'll be going back there for a little bit... you two can... get some rest... I-I mean, M-Major Fraiser was d-dead right?"

Tara smirked and Janet smiled and inclined her head. "Thank you... we'll be out by tomorrow though..." She stared up at Sam, "I have a lot to get back to," she paused, "If they'll let me." But even with Janet's last statement there was a spring in her step as she and Sam walked out into the sunrise.

Tara smiled and whispered back to Willow, "Three down... and it solves two of our problems..."

Willow looked a bit confused.

* * *

Buffy folded her hands over her chest, "Now, what are we going to do with you four..."

Rona was the first to speak up, "I will be getting on home if you don't mind. If, and when Faith dies, I'll be ready... but..." she smiled softly, "I'd rather not be called over for any more apocalypses..."

Buffy rolled her eyes, "Amanda?"

"Home."

Molly and Vi nodded their heads. "How about one last group dinner?"

"Mmm...am I invited? I did help you save the world...again."

Buffy looked over at Angel, "If you eat blood, you do it in the kitchen..."

Angel held his hands up, "I promise..."


	8. Chapter 8

Everyone sat sprawled around the living room. Xander finally threw his hands up, "Oh for the love of all things lesbian, those two are snogging like there's no tomorrow. A man could get positively paranoid."

Everyone looked over at Faith and Kennedy. Faith paused as she pulled her lips away from Kennedy's, "What...?"

Kennedy pulled Faith back into a kiss.

Xander shook his head and glanced over to where Willow and Tara seemed to be trying to meld their two bodies into one. "Shouldn't you two be doing the same thing?"

Willow raised an eyebrow, "I'll have you know there is more to our relationship than smoochies and tongue rings..."

Xander snorted, "Sure..."

An actual smile came to Giles' face, "I believe I can say that I now fully believe that it is actually Tara..."

Tara laughed, "Why Mr. Giles, because I'm not... snogging Willow senseless..." A glint came to her eyes, "Or because I don't have a tongue ring..."

Giles swallowed and removed his glasses to clean them, "Something like that...and with that eerie note," he put his glasses back on, "I believe I'll turn in."

Buffy stood up, "Yeah, me too...come on girls, we have a long day of dropping people off and saying goodbye's tomorrow. New sleeping arrangements. Tara and Willow are in my room, since Faith and Kennedy are fitting pretty well there at the moment, though they'd better not get anything unmentionable on it, they've got the couch. Girls, you can have Willow's room, I'll find... somewhere else to bunk for the night."

Even Giles rolled his eyes at that.

* * *

"Nice digs..." Sam put down her duffle bag at the door and wrapped her arms around Janet from the back. She peppered Janet's neck with tiny kisses. "Bet their rent is cheap."

Janet turned in Sam's arms, "Retire, fight Vampires and the other evils of the Hellmouth."

Sam tilted her head to one side, "Thought that we got rid of the Hellmouth when I Zatted the FRED dude..."

Janet smiled, "Nope, he was the Big Evil, Original Evil, some Apophis or Anubis like Evil."

"Oh my Lord..."

Janet's head shot up, "What, who..."

Sam scrambled out of the bed and over to her duffle bag. Clothes came flying out of it, some hitting Janet in the face. The Doctor smiled softly, "Sam? What are you doing?"

Sam finally pulled out a notebook that had been at the very bottom of the duffle. "Uh, I'm sorry, I need to... Can you call Daniel, tell him to meet me at the high school..." She hooked a pen onto the collar of

her black shirt and started for the door.

She was stopped by Janet's voice, "Sam... shoes..."

* * *

"I-It'll never be the same..."

Willow placed a kiss on Tara's cheek, on her forehead, on her nose, and finally her lover's lips. She pulled back a fraction of an inch, "It'll be better..."

A laugh bubbled up from Tara's heart. "I'm an idiot, so much could have been prevented, if I had just..."

"Ducked?"

Tara put her hand on the side of Willow's face, "So much pain, you, Dawn..."

"Anya..."

Raised eyebrows came from Tara in response to this statement. "Anya?"

Willow pushed herself up a little and Tara laid her head in the crook of Willow's neck. "Well, you two are the only non-birth Scoobies."

Willow could feel Tara laugh at this, "Non-birth? So you and Xander and Dawn were born into it?"

Willow nodded, "Yeppers."

"You know, I never did get my decoder ring."

Willow played with Tara's hair a bit before responding, "We could always get, you know, matching decoder rings...or something."

Tara closed her eyes, "Maybe something without the actual decoder, or the plastic, that doesn't come in a cereal box?"

Willow looked at Tara's face one more time before she laid back and closed her own eyes, "I think I like that idea."


	9. Epilogue

Principal Stevens stood back and took in her new high school. For the second time in two years they were opening a new one. She shook her head, "Only in Sunnydale."

"That is the truth Principal."

Principal Stevens looked over towards the voice, "May I help you?"

Sam looked a bit sheepish, but not too much, "Sorry," she held her hand out, "Sam Carter, my... daughter will be coming to this school in a couple of days."

Principal Stevens paused for a moment before she spoke, "Cassandra Fraiser?"

"Yes."

Sam could practically see everything moving through the neural pathways in her brain, "Her... other... mother wouldn't happen to be a five foot five Napolionic Power Monger? The new Chief of Staff at Sunnydale Memorial?"

A laugh bubbled from Sam's chest, "Actually...yes."

Principal Stevens smiled, "My husband, Julian Stevens is the Head of Emergency Medicine at SMH. You wouldn't happen to be the one in charge of the... archeological... site at the old high school would you?" Sam nodded slowly, a bit unsure. "Don't worry about the cover... Colonel is it?"

Sam nodded, "Lt. Colonel, but please, Sam."

"...once you've lived in this town long enough Top Secret military projects are tame compared to what else is out there. And our third school in less than a decade, all the new bells and whistles... and no basement. Whatever you're doing over there is only good for me and my job of expanding the young'uns brains."

Sam inclined her head, "Well Principal, we'll try to keep out of the town's hair."

Principal Stevens smirked, "Col...Sam, the town has no hair, the last time that there was a... light show in the sky... the town pulled out all of its hair."

"Well, I'll let you...go back to your...gazing."

Principal Stevens looked back up at the school and back at Sam, "Well, I hope to see you around Sam, good luck with... Project Hellmouth..."

* * *

Fin - May 13, 2004


End file.
